The Unseen Class War That Could Decide The Presidential Election

By Joel Kotkin
08/31/2012
Much is said about class warfare in contemporary America, and there’s justifiable anger at the impoverishment of much of the middle and working classes. The Pew Research Center recently dubbed the 2000s a “lost decade” for middle-income earners — some 85% of Americans in that category feel it’s now more difficult to maintain their standard...

How Government Unions Intimidate Corporations

By Jon Coupal
08/30/2012
Back in the days before he joined the dark side of “The Force,” Arnold Schwarzenegger was a compelling advocate for taxpayers. He noted that “from the time they get up in the morning and flush the toilet, they’re taxed. Then they go and get the cup of coffee, they’re taxed….This goes on all day long....

Anaheim, California – City Employee Compensation Analysis

By Edward Ring
08/29/2012
August 29, 2012 Earlier this year the California Policy Center obtained from the city of Anaheim a comprehensive record of all payroll-related disbursements for 2011. This information was provided in the form of a spreadsheet that provided compensation details for every full and part-time employee of the city of Anaheim during 2011. We performed subsequent...

Union Watch Highlights

By Jack Dean
08/28/2012
Here are links to the top stories available online over the past week reporting on union activity including legislation, financial impact, reform activism, etc., from California and across the USA. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s pep talk for California Editorial, August 28, 2012, Orange County Register While California residents are justly proud of many elements...

Douglas County Colorado School Board Rebels Against Teachers Union

By Mike Shedlock
08/28/2012
Three members of the Douglas County School Board have floated proposals to terminate dealings with teacher’s unions. Three board members proposed three separate ballot questions, each chipping away at what have been traditional district-union relationships in the affluent county south of Denver. Should the district be prohibited from using public funding for the compensation of...

Can Californians Learn from Progressive Wisconsin and Confront Government Unions?

By Steven Greenhut
08/27/2012
During recent travels to Madison and Milwaukee for some research about reform-minded Gov. Scott Walker’s survival of a union-backed recall in June, I found little residual anger among the friendly folks there, despite the campaign’s seemingly endless pitched political battles that divided families and led to angry water-cooler discussions. Perhaps the central issue – Walker’s...

TAGS: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker

Public Sector Unions Argue Labor Contracts Trump Existing Laws

By Chris Reed
08/23/2012
The key to understanding Golden State politics is knowing that the most powerful forces in Sacramento by a wide margin are the California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers. Using union dues and benefiting from the bizarrely enduring notion that what is good for teachers is good for students, the CTA and CFT...

TAGS: California Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association

Union Watch Highlights

By Jack Dean
08/21/2012
More than 55% of voters favor California’s Prop. 32 By Jon Ortiz, August 20, 2012, Sacramento Bee More than half of California voters favor Proposition 32, according to new poll by the California Business Roundtable and Pepperdine University, although the support for the measure has declined in the last two weeks. The decline is probably...

Bankruptcy Won’t Help Cities Unless Courts Permit Reduced Pension Benefits

By Steven Greenhut
08/21/2012
Municipal bonds have long been among the safest investments, but a coming wave of municipal bankruptcies in California – and the disturbing way one of those cities is stiffing its bondholders – could change perceptions about the wisdom of lending money to cities. The struggling port city of Stockton has declared bankruptcy after a spending...